atherine was said to have been a charming young girl, with red-gold hair she could sit on and prized pink-and-white coloring. Though fairly short and plump, her bearing was described as regal. Her voice, low and resounding, commanded respect. When this daughter of Spain arrived in England at the age of 16, writer Sir Thomas More observed that "there is nothing wanting in her that the most beautiful girl should have."

She was every inch the daughter of Isabella of Castile, Spain's legendary warrior queen. An ironclad sense of duty and religious rectitude were Catherine's hallmark. Stubbornness was her shield. Stonewalled for years by Henry VII on her marriage to Prince Henry, she refused to yield to his demands and lived in near penury. Tough, resilient and resourceful, she would display the same self-reliance in her ultimate battle with Henry VIII.